Education Papers and Journal ArticlesCopyright (c) 2016 The University of Notre Dame Australia All rights reserved.http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article
Recent documents in Education Papers and Journal Articlesen-usTue, 20 Sep 2016 02:03:57 PDT3600Arts curriculum implementation: "Adopt and adapt" as policy translationhttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/178
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/178Sun, 18 Sep 2016 22:46:42 PDT
This paper examines macro, meso and micro understandings of policy enactment within Western Australian primary school arts education where a new national arts curriculum is being revised and implemented through a process colloquially known as ‘adopt and adapt’. This paper focuses on how a government led implementation policy has influenced arts teaching and learning in unintended ways. It Includes a theoretical reflection and a consideration of the effects of such policies. Using policy enactment theory as the enquiry lens, four contextual variables are highlighted for their impact on teachers and schools. The variables include situated contexts, material contexts, professional cultures and external factors. Effects are discussed through the perspectives of eleven arts curriculum leaders drawn from in-depth semi-structured interviews. Marginalisation of the arts, the disconnection of schools and teachers to the arts and professional learning impacts are discussed as results of this policy translation.
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S Chapman et al.Human embodiment and trinitarian anthropology - six implications for Religious Educationhttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/177
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/177Thu, 14 Jul 2016 18:21:44 PDT
The author starts his considerations with a remark on the human person as a unique kind of reality – an embodied being with a Trinitarian structure. He claims that we must account for human nature as it is and educate the human person accordingly. He focuses on six key areas which need further exploration for the renewal of religious education: (1) religious education and the human person, (2) religious education for the body, (3) religious education for the heart, (4) religious education for the mind, (5) religious education and moral formation, and (6) the nature of faith.
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G O'SheaTumor Necrosis Factor - Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) promotes angiogenesis and ischemia- induced neovascularization via NADPH Oxidase 4 (NOX4) and Nitric Oxide - dependent mechanismshttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/176
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/176Wed, 18 May 2016 19:46:15 PDTBackground — Tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has the ability to inhibit angiogenesis by inducing endothelial cell death, as well as being able to promote pro- angiogenic activity in vitro. These seemingly opposite effects make its role in ischemic disease unclear. Using Trail_/_ and wildtype mice, we sought to determine the role of TRAIL in angiogenesis and neovascularization following hindlimb ischemia.

Conclusions — This is the first report demonstrating that TRAIL can promote angiogenesis following hindlimb ischemia in vivo. The angiogenic effect of TRAIL on human microvascular endothelial cell-1 cells is downstream of fibroblast growth factor-2, involving NOX4 and nitric oxide signaling. These data have significant therapeutic implications, such that TRAIL may improve the angiogenic response to ischemia and increase perfusion recovery in patients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

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B Di Bartolo et al.Endoglin potentiates nitric oxide synthesis to enhance definitive hematopoiesishttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/175
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/175Wed, 18 May 2016 18:23:14 PDT
During embryonic development, hematopoietic cells develop by a process of endothelial-to hematopoietic transition of a specialized population of endothelial cells. These hemogenic endothelium (HE) cells in turn develop from a primitive population of FLK1+ mesodermal cells. Endoglin (ENG) is an accessory TGF-β receptor that is enriched on the surface of endothelial and hematopoietic stem cells and is also required for the normal development of hemogenic precursors. However, the functional role of ENG during the transition of FLK1+ Mesoderm to hematopoietic cells is ill defined. To address this we used amurine embryonic stem cell model that has been shown to mirror the temporal emergence of these cells in the embryo. We noted that FLK1+ mesodermal cells expressing ENG generated fewer blast colony forming cells but had increased hemogenic potential when compared with ENG non-expressing cells. TIE2+/CD117+ HE cells expressing ENG also showed increased hemogenic potential compared with non-expressing cells. To evaluate whether high ENG expression accelerates hematopoiesis, we generated an inducible ENG expressing ES cell line and forced expression in FLK1+ mesodermal or TIE2+/CD117+ HE cells. High ENG expression at both stages accelerated the emergence of CD45+ definitive hematopoietic cells. High ENG expression was associated with increased pSMAD2/eNOS expression and NO synthesis in hemogenic precursors. Inhibition of eNOS blunted the ENG induced increase in definitive hematopoiesis. Taken together, these data show that ENG potentiates the emergence of definitive hematopoietic cells by modulating TGF-β/pSMAD2 signalling and increasing eNOS/NO synthesis.
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R Nasrallah et al.Self-efficacy enhanced in a cross-cultural context through an initiative in under-resourced schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africahttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/174
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/174Sun, 10 Apr 2016 21:17:16 PDT
This paper discusses the Khanyisa Programme, an initiative in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where learners from under-resourced schools are supported by teachers and high achievers in Grade 11 and 12 from a previously advantaged state school under apartheid. A qualitative, evaluative study was undertaken to identify key elements in the ongoing success of the programme and collect participant suggestions for improvement. The findings, discussed within the framework of self-efficacy theory, identified enormous gains by Khanyisa learners, leading to vastly improved career prospects.
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M MaherWhat happens when induction goes wrong: Case studies from the fieldhttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/173
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/173Sun, 10 Apr 2016 20:45:56 PDT
Although induction programmes are widely held to alleviate the pressures beginning teachers face early in their careers, what happens when beginning teachers do not receive adequate induction? While the research advocates effective and ongoing induction to acculturate new teachers to their careers, there is little research on the effects of unsuccessful induction on the teachers who undertake such programmes. The author is a long-standing advocate for beginning teacher induction, it is important to note that simply implementing a programme does not guarantee success. While induction practices have become more common in recent years, there are still no mandated structures for inducting teachers into the profession throughout Australia, although guidelines are forthcoming. This article showcases the types of programmes that some schools have implemented in the wake of “mandated” induction and the impacts that these programmes have on the teachers who undertake them. The negative effects on teacher morale and efficacy, when they are not supported in the early years of their careers, are highlighted to justify the importance of effective and ongoing induction. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to understand and interpret the ways in which the participants of the programmes experienced their induction. This analysis along with the content analysis of the interviews with the school’s leadership and a document review of the policies and procedures of induction provided detailed insight into the nature, purpose, strengths and shortcomings of the programmes in question.
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S KearneyLighting up learning: mathematics becoming less of a 'killer subject' in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africahttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/172
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/172Sun, 21 Feb 2016 23:42:57 PST
This paper reports the findings of an evaluative study of an initiative, in its sixth year of implementation, enhancing the learning and teaching of mathematics in 20 disadvantaged secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, twenty years after democracy. Findings highlight the importance of initial and ongoing professional development for under-qualified teachers. Support and strategies that have enhanced the achievement in mathematics of learners in these still under-resourced schools, are described.
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Marguerite MaherPhenomenology and educational researchhttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/171
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/171Thu, 28 Jan 2016 17:23:35 PST
Amongst novice researchers, there is considerable uncertainty about how to use phenomenology as a methodological framework. The problem seems to reside in the fact that phenomenology is a philosophy, a foundation for qualitative research, as well as a research method in its own right. Added to this confusion is the misperception that phenomenology is one unified approach when it actually consists of three disparate complex philosophies. It is, therefore, important for a phenomenological researcher to state the approach that they have adopted for their research, as it impacts upon their selection of methodological procedures.

The aim of this article is to address these problems and to provide a useful resource to postgraduate education students who are considering applying this research method to their study. This article commences by defining phenomenology as a philosophy, and then explores a range of salient features of the three different philosophical approaches. It concludes by outlining how to carry out a transcendental phenomenological study with specific examples to illustrate key aspects of how to use the tools and techniques associated with this method of research.

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Katrina Eddles-HirschMeasurement: Five considerations to add even more impact to your programhttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/170
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/170Tue, 26 Jan 2016 23:43:38 PST
The potential of using Measurement as a way of “tuning students into mathematics” is demonstrated. Five ideas that can form the basis of focusing on measurement to access other strands of the mathematics curriculum are examined.
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Derek HurrellSelf-perceptions of pre-service mathematics teachers completing a Graduate Diploma of Secondary Educationhttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/169
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/169Tue, 26 Jan 2016 20:45:41 PST
This qualitative research project explored the self-perceptions of pre-service secondary mathematics teachers completing a Graduate Diploma of Secondary Education. Specifically, the researcher investigated the extent to which teachers perceived their readiness to commence a secondary mathematics teaching position. The project relied principally on the use of a single, 10-item, qualitative research instrument that was used repeatedly and flexibly over time. Participants were asked to complete two questionnaires; one was administered before and after their Teaching Internship Practicum. Responses from all participants indicated varying degrees of readiness to teach secondary mathematics. An analysis of participant responses suggests three key findings: pre-service teachers require further training in mathematical content, particularly in upper school content; pre-service teachers require additional training in mathematical pedagogy; and the practicum experience confirmed initial participant perceptions of teaching readiness.
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Gregory S.C. HineAdopting online lecturing for improved learning: A case study from teacher educationhttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/168
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/168Thu, 14 Jan 2016 18:22:45 PST
This paper presents the results of a study that examined the integration of video lectures into a pre-service teacher unit of study. The aim of the research was to ascertain how students used the pre-recorded videos to complement their learning. The focus was on the pedagogy, and explored three factors: convenience, self-regulation of learning and design to aid learning. A mixed method approach to the data collection was used. Data sources included reflective journals, surveys and semi-structured interviews. An analysis of the data indicates that the pre-service teachers viewed the use of pre-recorded lectures positively and that they were a useful resource for self-study. The use of a webcam was also viewed positively as a design feature of the lectures. Overall, the responses to the innovation were positive.
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Marie Quinn et al.Reflection: research by design: design-based research and the higher degree research studenthttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/167
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/167Thu, 14 Jan 2016 16:56:42 PST
One of my first thoughts upon being asked to revisit this article (Kennedy-Clark, 2013) was to reflect upon how much research has been done on design-based research as a methodology. So, in this response, I will draw upon some of the main ideas that are coming from recent studies and consider this in the context of Higher Degree Research (HDR). When I was first introduced to design-based research, it was the methodological approach being used in a grant-funded research project at the Centre for Computer Supported Learning and Cognition (CoCo Lab) at the University of Sydney, Australia, where we were building an educational virtual world that was based on Harvard’s River City. At the time, most of the literature on design-based research was grounded firmly in the learning sciences and came from leading researchers in the field, such as Barab and Squire’s (2004) seminal text and from research groups such as the Design-Based Research Collective (2003).
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Shannon Kennedy-ClarkThe class size paradoxhttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/166
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/166Thu, 07 Jan 2016 21:07:49 PSTBoris Handal et al.Increasing student performance by changing the assessment practices within an academic writing unit in an enabling programhttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/164
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/164Mon, 16 Nov 2015 18:26:04 PST
The production of high quality academic writing often represents a challenge for students in bridging courses. Often, students lack frequently assumed background skills and knowledge, and may have completed secondary school subjects where extended writing tasks were less common. At the University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle Campus, staff responded to concerns about student progress with academic writing within the Enabling Program. It was determined that a trial of scaffolded assessment may be of benefit to students in the acquisition of the necessary skills and knowledge. Scaffolded assessment intentionally breaks a single assessment task into sub-components and attempts to teach the students to replicate the same process on future tasks. Data tracking over three Semester 1 entry cohorts demonstrated the approach was of benefit in both the unit and the overall course when scaffolded assessment was utilised. The benefits and reservations regarding the use of scaffolded assessment are outlined.
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Keith McNaught et al.The golden thread: Educator connectivity as a central pillar in the development of creativity through childhood education. An Irish life history studyhttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/162
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/162Mon, 10 Aug 2015 21:05:54 PDT
This paper presents the narratives of five creative Irish Adults who contributed to the study by sharing their childhood education experiences. The five participants are all of different ages and occupations. All identify themselves as highly creative people and all worked with me over the course of this study to identify how this creativity developed within their engagement with the Irish childhood education system. All excelled with higher education and they share a high degree of success within their careers. Between them, they express their creativity across five key genres. These are: Science, Engineering, The Arts, Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurship.

Well-developed themes were analysed to identify interrelationships which formed a theoretical framework of core concepts that demonstrate what holds great importance in the lives of these participants for the development of their creativity during childhood education in Ireland. A clear theme of this study was that of connectivity. Connections and relationships matter greatly. The creative journey is joyful and clear where children experience a positive connection with their educator. Conversely, the creative journey is stymied by a lack of connection or by a negative connection. These stand in the way of creative growth, like a big boulder on the child’s developmental path. This paper, showcases, through the stories of these five research participants, how creativity development is affected by the connection between the child and their educator.

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Doireann O'ConnorEducator identities. Emerging issues within personal and professional identities: Changes experienced by Australian pre-service teachers following professional exposure to educational practice within childcare settingshttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/161
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/161Mon, 10 Aug 2015 20:23:19 PDT
This paper presents the findings of a research project investigating the perceptions and expectations held by pre-service teachers regarding the childcare sector. It presents the views of a group of pre-service teachers both before and after their exposure to practice within childcare following a ten week practicum. The personal experiences of the research participants impacted greatly on their evolutionary understanding of and attitude towards the childcare sector. Thematic analysis of the data produced several key concepts that illuminated issues of identity conflict across the care and education divide. This paper makes a necessary contribution to the current research context where research on perspectives of teacher-educators within childcare is limited. It is particularly pertinent in the context of Australia’s implementation of the policy requiring a qualified teacher to be employed within childcare settings from 2014 onwards.
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Doireann O'Connor et al.Pedagogies and policies of impediment: How a lack of connectivity is a barrier to learning within early years educationhttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/160
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/160Wed, 22 Jul 2015 18:37:08 PDT
Connectivity is a multi-faceted concept. It relates to three main central pillars of early years learning. These are; the inter-personal connections between educators and children, the connections between the children themselves and the connectivity to learning that exists within each individual child. The interpersonal connections, whether they are between the children and their educator or peer to peer are important because their level of positivity leaves the child either free to learn or unable to progress. If there is a lack of positive inter-personal connectivity within a child’s central relationships, they are unable to focus on anything else to any degree of productivity. Amiable and connected relationships free a child to learn unhindered. For this reason, the educator must be very connected to the inner worlds of all the children in their group. They must be mindful, aware, reflective and caring, creating an environment where the children feel loved and valued. This is not simply good practice from a perspective of care, although that too is important, it is also of vital importance from an education perspective. Freedom from feelings of unconnectedness and anxiety about the implications and ramifications of a negative interpersonal relationship leaves a child uninhibited to engage productively in their own learning journey.

Equally important is the child’s inner connectivity to their learning journey. This too requires both an informed and mindful pedagogical approach as well as national educational policies that are knowledgeable and supportive of the way young children learn. Young children learn in a connected and integrated way. Their main vehicle for learning is play. Rich play experiences should incorporate the full sensory gauntlet. Sensory learning is cellular learning. In the early years, sensory integrated learning creates a powerful vehicle for connected learning experiences that have a formidable impact on foundational learning for important educational skills such as numeracy and literacy. Pedagogies and policies which seek to deliver universal educational goals such as numeracy and literacy skills to children under age six without due consideration of the principle of connectivity within the child’s inner learning journey will ultimately impede and potentially damage the child’s ability to reach those very educational goals.

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Doireann O'ConnorThe role of the primary school principal in developing student leadershiphttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/159
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/159Mon, 08 Jun 2015 00:29:15 PDT
The development of student leadership potential is an important issue to investigate (Archard, 2009; Hine, 2013; McNae, 2011). Yet to date, little research efforts have focussed on student leadership development programs within primary schools (K - 6). This research examined three aspects of student leadership within eight Catholic primary schools in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. These aspects included the principals’ understanding of the term ‘student leadership’, their perception of the most appropriate form of student leadership in Catholic schools, and how they envisaged their role within a student leadership program. Qualitative data were collected through the exercise of semi-structured interviews and researcher-generated field notes. A summary of findings indicated that principals understood student leadership programs as structured and deliberate opportunities for student development to occur. The most appropriate form of student leadership encompassed programs focussed on service, collaboration, and reflective of the school’s ethos and vision. Principals envisaged their responsibilities as role models, as servant leaders, and to involve key people in the school’s leadership program.
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Gregory Hine et al.Strengthening pre-service teachers’ mathematical content knowledgehttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/158
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/158Mon, 01 Jun 2015 22:02:20 PDT
Over the past two decades there has been a growing body of literature concerning the preparation of pre-service mathematics teachers. Research efforts have focused principally on approaches conducted by tertiary educators to adequately prepare pre-service teachers (PST) for the mathematics classroom. In particular, such efforts have emphasised the importance of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) (Beswick & Goos 2012; Shulman 1986; Shulman 1987) and mathematical content knowledge (MCK) (Meany & Lange 2012; Ponte & Chapman, 2008) in teacher preparation programs. Specifically, researchers have reported on ways to best support preservice primary and secondary teachers’ PCK (Aguirre, del Rosario Zavala & Katanyoutanant 2012; Kennedy, Ball & McDiarmid 1993) and MCK (Ma 1999; Stohlmann, Moore & Cramer 2013), the effects of mathematical content units on PST (Matthews, Rech & Grandgenett 2010), and the effects of mathematical pedagogy units on PST (Sowder 2007). Other research has drawn attention to PST confidence levels and attitudes towards mathematics (Hamlett 2009). Despite the extensive literature there is no consensus on how to adequately train PST of mathematics (Ball, Hill & Bass 2003; Chapman 2005). However, a growing number of scholars recommend teacher educators focus their efforts on mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT), or teaching both for procedural understanding and mathematical fluency (Delaney Ball, Hill, Schilling & Zopf 2008).
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Gregory HineAn explanation for the use of arrays to promote the understanding of mental strategies for multiplicationhttp://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/157
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/edu_article/157Wed, 29 Apr 2015 21:52:31 PDT
This article provides a convincing argument for using arrays to promote students’ understandings of mental computation strategies for multiplication. Also a range of different examples that illustrate the benefits of arrays in the primary classroom are provided.
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Lorraine Day et al.